Franz Ferdinand have had some fun in the studio, now they are bringing the fruits of that labour of love to Australia. Source: Supplied

WELCOME to the Franz Ferdinand Guide to Enjoying Your Day Job. Rule one: Hang out with your band members.

Rule two: Record your album in "sporadic" bursts in your own studios. Rule three: Plan an Australian holiday. Correction, book an Australian festival tour.

The Scottish artrockers are back on the airwaves, introducing their fourth record with the single Right Action.

These stylish purveyors of rock that makes you dance have impeccable timing, following the release of the new record Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action in August with live shows, courtesy of the Harvest Festival in November.

Frontman Alex Kapranos and his band mates have extensive experience of Australian festivals in the past decade, having played Splendour In the Grass, Big Day Out and Falls.

Kapranos was mightily impressed when informed Franz would be sharing the Harvest bill with Massive Attack, Goldfrapp, Eels and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, among others.

"Crikey! There's some pretty amazing bands there,'' he says. "I am very excited about seeing Neutral Milk Hotel. Their album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is one of my favourites of all time.

"Festivals in Australia are always the best - we've had so much fun when we've played them down there over the years. And it means we get to escape the stinking weather here."

The sound of Right Action and its companion album tracks harks back to the angular, energetic alt-rock that carved up indie discos when Franz dropped their self-titled debut record in 2004.

It's an album that sounds as if it was fun and effortless to make rather than a laboured exercise to recapture former chart glories.

"I think you're right, it is similar to the first record because it has the same kind of energy about it," Kapranos says. "We really enjoyed making it. In fact, of all the records we have made, I enjoyed making this one the most by far.

"I don't know exactly why but we were getting on really well. Before we even started writing songs, we were hanging out and enjoying each other's company."

The initial recording sessions were held mostly at bandmate Nick McCarthy's Sausage Studios, giving the band the time and freedom they needed to create.

Maintaining artistic rather than office hours gave the band, including bassist Bob Hardy and drummer Paul Thomson, the breathing space to evaluate their works in progress and keep enthusiasm on high.

"One thing that made a big difference is we recorded it in short, sporadic bursts. We would go in for a week or, at the absolute max, two weeks and then go back and do some shows or some more writing," Kapranos explains.

"We would only work on three or four songs at a time and only do a few takes. That made it feel like we were working on a set of EPs.

"There's no ballads on there; everything was kept concise and to the point, which the first album was as well. What I really like about a good pop song is you make it quickly and there's no bulls--- about it."

While he disagrees the modern music fan's inclination to cherrypick their favourite songs influenced the creative process behind Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, it sounds like a collection of singles rather than a concept album.

"We were thinking of all the songs being singles instead of indulgently ponderous album tracks. When we came to the end of the sessions, it was almost like we were making a compilation of the songs we liked best from all these little EPs," Kapranos says.

"We weren't thinking about the download culture at all because we still like the idea of the album as something you listen to completely, that reflects what a band is at a particular time.

"You can't express all your ideas in one song, you need a body of work."

As anyone who has witnessed Franz Ferdinand in full flight on stage can attest, this band's appeal is inextricably tied to their electrifying performance.

Nailing the performance of the new songs live in the studio was paramount to the band rather than shrugging their shoulders and leaving it to an engineer to fix any mistakes later.

"What's become the worst aspect of technology in recording now is the amount of corrections done with Protools. When you do that too much, you lose all your quirks," Kapranos says.

The band who exploded into the mainstream with their quirky tempo shifts and unconventional pop song arrangements on Take Me Out, This Fire and The Dark Of the Matinee wanted to reclaim their "quirky and odd" personality for their fourth record.

"Bob and I were talking about that. We hadn't seen each other much and when we met up in Orkney and we were talking about what kind of record we wanted to make, you end up looking back at when you started," Kapranos says.

"We were a weird bunch, odd and quirky and we still don't feel like we fit in any scene or a particular genre. We agreed that it is a great thing and we shouldn't feel selfconscious about it. You should let your quirk run free.

"As bands go on, there is a temptation to shave those edges off and make things more acceptable."

HEAR: Right Action is out now. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is released on August 23

SEE: Franz Ferdinand play Harvest Festival, Werribee Park, Melbourne, November 10; The Domain, Sydney on November 16 and City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane on November 17. Tickets on sale tomorrow via harvestfestival.com.au

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